One Thousand Gifts

Have any of you ever read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp?

I hadn't.  I had heard of it and had it on my "to read" list........was even thinking about asking my mom for it for my birthday coming up.   Was telling her one day how I'd heard it was supposed to be really good and I definitely wanted to get my hands on a copy. 

That very same day, a very sweet friend emailed me and told me she felt God nudging her to send me this book.   And several days later, it arrived in the mail.....along with a beatiful scarf (ya'll know how much I love scarves, right?) and some yummy chocolates.  What a blessing! 

 The book and the scarf....unfortunately the chocolates were no longer around to be in the picture. :-)

So I've been devouring this book.  And getting quite a lot out of it.  I almost feel like I'm reading this woman's journal....listening to her thoughts.  I thought I'd share a few snatches from the book that have been meaningful to me so far:

"The act of naming grace moments, this list of God's gifts, moves beyond the shopping list variety of prayer and into the other side.  The other side of prayer, the interior of His throne room, the inner walls of His powerful, love-beating heart.  The list is God's list, the pulse of His love......this dare to write down one thousand things I love, it really is a dare to name all the ways that God loves me."

"They say time is money, but that's not true.  Time is life.  And if I want the fullest life, I need to find fullest time.....the busyness of your life leaving little room for the source of your life....God gives us time.  And who has time for God?"

That chapter I'm on right now is called "A Sanctuary of Time".  I am resounding with every word on each page.  Life gets busy, SO busy....in the midst of the piles of dishes and the screaming toddlers and the laundry stacked the ceiling, the part time job and the Chemistry waiting to be studied, the bathroom a wreck and everything else.......I've got to learn to just stop.  To stop and just thank God for what He's given me.  Amidst the chaos of life, the troubles and difficulties and rough spots....

I must learn to thank Him for everything.  Because He truly loves me.   I can't get so caught up in the daily grind that I miss all the thousands of "small" gifts He gives me, every day.

(And, by the way, in case you were wondering, I would highly recommend this book.:-)